78
男
a man; a male
ダン DAN ナン NAN おとこ otoko *お o
The character 男 combines characters for 田 rice paddy and 力 strength and indicates a man working.
GR1 N5 AP
Example Sentences
1. 男性用のかつらがよく売れている。
Dansei-yō no katsura ga yoku urete iru.
Wigs for men are selling well.
2. 歌舞伎は男優ばかりの芝居です。
Kabuki wa danyū bakari no shioai desu.
Kabuki is a form of drama involving only male actors.
3. 長男とは結婚したくないわ。
Chōnan to wa kekkon shitakunai wa.
I don't want to marry an eldest son!
4. あの背の高い男の人は誰？
Ano se no takai otoko no hito wa dare?
Who is that tall man?
5. 小さな男の子が迷子になっています。
Chiisa na otoko-no-ko ga maigo ni natte imasu.
A little boy is lost.
| Common Compounds and Phrases | ||
| 男性 | dansei | a man; a male; masculine |
| 男優 | danyū | an actor |
| 男女 | danjo | male and female |
| 長男 | chōnan | the eldest son |
| 次男 | jinan | a second son |
| 男の子 | otoko no ko | a boy; a male child |
| 大男 | ō-otoko | a tall / large man |
79
来
to come; to cause; to bring about
ライ RAI く • る ku(ru) きた•す kita(su) きた • る kita(ru)
The character 来 derived from a pictograph of wheat. The meaning of come perhaps was connected with wheat having been brought from a distant country.
GR2 N5 AP
Example Sentences
1. 未来のことはだれも知らない。
Mirai no koto wa dare mo shiranai.
No one knows what the future holds.
2. お正月以来会っていませんね。
Oshōgatsu irai atte imasen ne.
We haven't seen each other since New Year's.
3. 電車が来た。
Densha ga kita.
The train has arrived.
4. コンピューターがダウンして仕事に支障を来した。
Konpyūtā ga daun shite shigoto ni shishō o kitashita.
The computer being down hindered my work.
5. 大統領が来日した。
Daitōryō ga rainichi shita.
The President came to Japan.
| Common Compounds and Phrases | ||
| 未来 | mirai | the future |
| 以来 | irai | since then; from that time |
| 来日 | rainichi | coming to Japan |
| 来月 | raigetsu | next month |
| 本来 | honrai | originally; naturally |
| 由来 | yurai | the origin; derived from |
| 来客 | raikyaku | a caller; a visitor |
80
雨
rain
ゥ U あめ ame *あま ama *さめ same *ゆ yu
The character 雨 combines three things: heaven 一, clouds
GR1 N5 AP
Example Sentences
1. あそこは雨量が多い地方です。
Asoko wa uryō ga ōi chihō desu.
That region has high rainfall.
2. 急に雨が降ってきた。
Kyū ni ame ga futte kita.
It suddenly started to rain.
3. あしたの天気予報は大雨だ。
Ashita no tenki yohō wa ōame da.
Heavy rain is forecast for tomorrow.
4. 小雨なら傘は要らない。
Kosame nara kasa wa iranai.
I won't need an umbrella if it's just drizzling.
5. 梅雨の頃は蒸し暑い。
Tsuyu no koro wa mushiatsui.
It's muggy during the rainy season.
| Common Compounds and Phrases | ||
| 雨量 | uryō | the amount of rainfall |
| 豪雨 | gōu | heavy rain; a downpour |
| 暴風雨 | bōfūu | a windy rainstorm |
| 大雨 | ōame | heavy rain |
| *小雨 | kosame | light rain; drizzle |
| *雨漏り | amamori | a leak in the roof |
| *梅雨 | tsuyu / baiu | the rainy season |
81
学
learning; to study
ガク GAKU まな • ぶ mana(bu)
The character 学 can be thought of as a child 子 under a roof
GR1 N5 AP
Example Sentences
1. 大学で英語を勉強した。
Daigaku de eigo o benkyō shita.
I studied English at university.
2. 数学は苦手だった。
Sūgaku wa nigate datta.
I was poor at mathematics.
3. 三年間スウェーデンに留学した。
Sannenkan Suēden ni ryūgaku shita.
I went to Sweden to study for three years.
4. 医学博士の学位をとった。
Igaku hakase no gakui o totta.